Some items give me the feeling of brighter day and I can have my tea with a enlighted heart and positive thoughts. Here is a list of such items, made from European artists that I would love to give or receive for Christmas. I will make a bigger gift guide for you in Thursday so stay tuned!
More nice finds from etsy, arranged like mood boards, could be found on star-of-the-east blog.
Повече хубави подаръци от etsy, аранжирани в настроения, можете да намеритe на блога star-of-the-east.
Being on etsy seller or buyer, on top
of all, means
to me, meeting artistic people with intereting point of view and kind souls.
Such a person is the first interview guest in my blog.
This is Aljona, living in Netherlands and running two shops for graphic design and one for anthique illustrations ( 1. 2. 3. ). She catch my attention with the nice sense
of humor in her art, with her feel for color and openness. We also share some
weak points to paper, crafts, illustrations and dutch design. After reading the
interview I am sure you will get that from such curious and talented person a
lot could be expected sooooo here is her answers and some of her amazing works.

1. Tell
us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Aljona and currently I
am in my final year as a Literature student. I did a year of Graphic Design
before this, but had to quit because of medical issues. I started thinking of
art as a possible field in which I could work about 7 years ago. I was having a
really hard time at school because I had just flunked my last year and needed
to repeat it. I had self-esteem issues and was really ‘stuck’ with myself. A
few months into my repeat year my dean set me down for a conversation and
everything just came out: my self-doubts, my frustrations, my fears. He asked
what I wanted to do. And it kind of hit me: I am a really creative person. I
cannot draw to save my life, but I can create nonetheless. He then offered me
the opportunity to work on my portfolio to get accepted into an art school
during classes I thought weren’t really helpful for me.
Ever since I haven’t stopped
creating, haven’t stopped looking around and draw inspiration from everything I
see and since then I have had the drive to never stop again. I don’t know if I
can make a career out of my art, but I do know I can express myself in my art.
In December 2011 I took the
plunge and opened my first shop with a strange mix of my art. Along the way I
narrowed it down a bit. In March of this year I opened my second shop for
vintage prints and illustrations. I got the idea for this after coming across
an old book that had completely fallen apart when I was helping my parents move
to a new house. Most of the illustrations in the book were still intact and I
thought it was a shame to throw it away. Then in May I opened my third store
because I wanted to start a more cohesive shop with my art and with an idea I
had for a long time.

2. How
you would you describe the art in your shop(s)?
That is a tough question. Unlike
most people, I don’t really have one style in which I express myself. I don’t
even have one medium. I think a recurring motive in my work would be humour. I
like being silly and make people smile. People shouldn’t take themselves too
seriously. The world already is such a serious place, it is up to people to make
living in it worthwhile.
I also like to experiment with
colour and colour combinations. To me colour theory is incredibly interesting.
It is like one of the most scientific aspects of art. It is also really hard,
much harder than you would expect. Colours that you’d think would go together
can create a wonderful combination!
In my Katlix store I have been
making a lot of geometric designs lately. I just love how the simplicity of
shapes and patterns can be so interesting to the eye. It can also be very
calming for me to draw these designs as they almost work like doodles. But even
though the designs themselves are simplistic, I try to put a lot of thought
into details. For example if you look closely at my bookmarks you will see a
lot of detail in the paint.

3. What
other crafts do you practice or like?
I love photography and
experimenting with it. I used to have photo prints in my Katlix Design shop,
but it was just too different from my illustrations and it didn’t sell at all,
so I let go of it. Then when I started forming my ideas for Proverbial
Productions I decided to use my photography as a base for the prints.
And then there is practically
every other craft in existence. I am for 90% self-taught (the other 10% being
the photography classes I took in high school and art school) and always ready
to learn new techniques and working with new media. I don’t think I will ever
stop learning. I have knitting and crochet supplies, I have beads and jewelry
making supplies, I have enough paper supplies to start my own paper company (I
would call it the Michael Scott Paper Company, for all “The Office” fans out
there), I have oils, pastels, acrylics, gouache, water colours, window paint,
inks, ink pads, carving supplies (for stamps and lino cuts), random hardware
store supplies, clay,… You name it, I have it, tried it or at least wanted to
try it.
I think it’s important to never
stop being curious or expanding your knowledge.

4. What
are your main sources of inspiration?
Simply put, I am always looking
at “pretty pictures”. I buy magazines (art, design, fashion) and it’s really
amazing how much you can learn from not only the subjects and editorials, but
also the typography, lay-out and advertisements.
Tumblr is also a great tool to
browse for inspiration. In my opinion it’s better than Pinterest or other
social media aggregators because you can very easily switch from the
overview of posts from the blogs you follow to individual blogs or even certain
tags. The only beef I have with social media like these is that it can be
difficult to find an original source.
I also find inspiration in
reading. I wish I had more time for this. I used to make comfortable
contraptions consisting of pillows and blankets in which I could disappear for
hours while reading. In the winter it would usually be very near the radiator
for warmth. I read all kinds of fiction: from “literature” to fantasy,
sometimes poetry and I love comics and graphic novels because they combine art
and text. But my favourite will always be fairy tales. One of my favourite
books is “Le Petit Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and it pretty much
contains my life philosophy of not forgetting the child you once were.

5. What
are your short-term dreams?
This is actually something I am
currently dealing with. I am in my final year at the university and it’s time
for me to make some tough choices. I don’t feel like getting a Master’s degree
because for one I really feel like I’m done with school (not with learing,
there’s a difference!) and I don’t know if I find a job in my field or even
want to work in my field.
I certainly don’t know if I can
be one of those Etsy sellers who “quit their day job”, because so far I haven’t
been selling enough (and spent way too much on supplies). I might be able to
find some freelance design work, but again, I’m not sure if it will be enough
to pay the bills.
I have been thinking about going
back to art school part time, but that will be a lot of hard work and I don’t
know if I’m up to it physically.
I’ve thought about opening a
sandwich shop… I love cooking and see people enjoy my food. But I would
probably need to have finished some course for a certificate which allows me to
sell food. And of course I would need start-up money…
Planning your future can always
be so complicated! So I simply dream that I can make at least enough money to
come by and have enough time to do what I like. Everything else is just a
matter of time, finding recourses and once in a while something will simply
come onto your path and you have to grab the opportunity with both hands. Maybe
you’ll fail, maybe you’ll succeed, but you will never know for sure until you
try.
Very simple interiors with colorful touches from the Danish Oyoy.
The accents are in neon, peach, yellow, light blue and not only
triangles but the trapezium is held with respect. The bedroom is my
favorite from the cathaogue!
Много семпли интериори с цветни закачки от датската Oyoy. Акцентите са неон, прасковено, жълто, светло синьо, трапецът е на почит. Спалнята ми е любимата стая от каталога.
One place that all new trends are implemented right away in a creative manner is etsy - online shop for vinage and handmade. I love to browse there to buy or just for inpiration. There are some items with geometric forms that I included in a Treasury list, called 'I love geometry / Presents for everyone under $20'. As you see the geometric trend in in jewellery, cloths, textile, interior, decoration, fashion acesessory and ect. You could use them as shown in part 1 of the post or just enjoy!
Едно място където новите трендове се усвояват веднага с творчески подход е etsy - онлайн магазин за винтиж и хендмейд стоки. Аз обичам да разглеждам за вдъхновение или за покупка. Там се намират много вещи с геометрични форми, които включих в списък със съкровища /Treasury list/, който се казва "Обичам геометрията - Подаръци за всеки под $20". Както виждате геометричния тренд е във бижута, дрехи, декорация, текстил, интериор, модни аксесоари и т.н. Може да ги използвате както е показано в част 1 или просто да се насладите!
Here are some beautiful pictures representing the trend of geometric forms in the interior as decoration. The shoots are from the family home of the talented stylist Susanna Ventu in Helsinki /Finland/ and are taken by Petra Bindel for the American magazine DWELL. To make the same style you need white walls, ikea and an additional hint from part 2 of this post:)
Ето няколко снимки, представящи тренда на геометричните форми в интериора като декорация. Снимките са от семейното жилище на талантливата стилистка Сузана Венту в Хелзинки /Финландия/ и са направяни от Петра Бендел, за американското интериорното списание DWELL. За да постигнете този стил ви трябват бели стени, икеа и малко допълнителна помощ от част 2 на този пост.